Sewing machine attachments



April 4, 1961 1. ALLAN 2,977,907

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENTS Filed Nov. 5, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 'q I I t Jan lq/lan nven or By Attorney April 4, 1961 I. ALLAN 2,977,907

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENTS Filed Nov. 5, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J Inventor X Ait orney April 4, 1961 1. ALLAN 2,977,907

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENTS Filed Nov. 5, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INIIIIIIA A M 99 /5 58 2/ /5 24 V4733 J A/Lq Inventor f Attorney April 4, 1961 I. ALLAN 2,977,907

SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENTS Filed Nov. 5, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 sewaauq 2-6,? Inventor Attorney United States Patent SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENTS Ian Allan, Buckingham Terrace, Glasgow W. 2, Scotland, assignor of one-half to Scotcraft Limited, Blantyre, Scotland a British company p Filed Nov. 5, 1958, Ser. No. 772,011

Claims priority, application Great Britain Nov. 9, 1957 16 Claims. (Cl. 112-134) This invention relates to sewing machine attachments and more especially to attachments for ruifiing, gathering, tucking, or frilling of lace, ribbons, bindings, etc. (hereinafter and in the claims referred to simply aslace) while the lace is being stitched to a base material.

Heretofore it has not been practicable to carry out the aforesaid operations other than by very laborious methods, unless use is made of special machines when stitch- 1 ing is normally done at the edge of the material as distinct from attachments for standard machines. This means therefore that when the special machine is out'of operation, the work is at a standstill. Moreover these special machines have usually necessitated working with the material right side down and the lace right side down also comprising a presser foot having in the portion thereof adapted to extend over the throat plate of the machine a slot for passage of a machine needle, a transversely-disposed rod above said slot and resiliently urged into the slot-superposing position, and guide means for guiding a length of lace in the direction of its length to pass over said rod and through said slot, the resilient loading of the rod being adapted to be overcome by the downward stroke of the needle of a sewing machine thereby to provide feeding of the lace as it is being stitched to material fed below the presser foot.

Preferably the rod is rotatable about its axis and in the event that the attachment is to be used with heavy materials the rod may have an annular or circumferential recess aligned with the axis of the stroke of the machine needle when the attachment is fitted to a 'machine.

Preferably, also, the guide means comprises upper and lower plates providing therebetween a space bounded above and below by smooth surfaces and adapted to permit smooth feed of the lace therebetween, the entry edges of said plates being rounded thereby not to interfere with the smooth feeding of the lace. The upper plate may be replaced by several spaced and smooth-surfaced rods disposed transversely to the direction of feed of the lace, the latter in this event being threaded under and over successive rods.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described,-

by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a sewing machine attachment for the purpose aforesaid in accordance with the present invention, a portion of the head of a sewing machine being shown in chain-dotted lines;

Figs. 2 to 4 are, respectively, a plan view, a side elevation, and a front elevation of the attachment;

Figs. 5 to 7 are side sectional elevationsillustrating sequentially the operation of the attachment when fitted to a sewing machine as the needle of the machine effects a stitching operation;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified sewing machine attachment for the purpose aforesaid in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the attachment shown in Fig. 8.

Referring firstly to Figs. 1 to 7 of the drawings, the sewing machine attachment illustrated therein is especiallyintended for use with industrial sewing machines as opposed to household sewing machines.

The attachment comprises a presser foot whereof the vertical post or shank 11 is adapted for connection in the customary manner to the presser bar of rod 12 of a sewing machine. The horizontal portion or sole plate 13 of the presser foot has a flat smooth undersurface 14 and has a slot 15 for passage of the machine needle 16. The heel of the presser foot is smooth on its underside and is flat at an area thereof flanked by the rear and outer edges thereof, the undersurface curving smoothly and gently upwardly in both directions from the front and inner limits of said area as indicated at 99 in the drawings thereby to ensure smooth feed'to the rear of the united lace L'and base material M and thus avoid distortion of the following lace and base material.

The sole plate forward of the slot may comprise upper integrated in the assembly device. The upper part forms a guide rail 21 undercut at its side edges to provide horizontal flanges 22 and 23 extending in the direction of feed of the lace. The said lower part of the sole plate is of larger area than the upper part or guide rail 21 and projects laterally from the latter. The said lower part has flanges 17 and 18 at its front and inner edges, respectively,

the front fiange'17 flanking the front edge surface of the guide rail 21 and the inner edge flange 18 being spaced from the inner edge of the guide rail 21 and providing a space in which is accommodated a coil tension spring 34- to be hereinafter referred to. Theflanges 17 and 18 are preferably unitary with one another and the rear end ofthe flange 18 is inturned across the said space and reduced in height to interspace same from the surface of the sole plate and provide "a lug 35 for receiving and anchoring one end of the spring 34, the lug 35 being nicked at 36 intermediate its ends to lodge and prevent lateral displacement of the end of the spring.

A carrier plate 24 is mounted on the guide rail 21 and is formed along its side edge with downwardlyv and in- Paltented Apr. 4, 1961 wardly turned return bend flanges 25 and 26 defining horizontal grooves into which enter the horizontal flanges 22 and 23 of the guide rail, the inwardly bent portions of the flanges 25 and 26 likewise entering the horizontal grooves defined between the flanges 22 and 23 and the sole plate. The carrier plate 24 is thus mounted for precise to and fro rectilinear movement towards and away from the vertical post or shank 11 of the presser foot. A lug 37 protrudes laterally from the inner edge of the carrier plate 24 at the end of the latter remote from the vertical post or shank 11 of the presser foot. This lug 37 is likewise nicked and serves to anchor the other end of the tension spring 34 (Fig. 2). The carrier plate is also provided diagonally opposite the lug 37 with an angle arm 38, 39 which projects forwardly and then inwardly from the rear of the outer edge of the carrier plate 24, the inwardly extending limb 39 of the arm being nicked at 40 adjacent the angle to provide an anchorage for one end of a second coil tension spring 41, the other end of which is anchored to a bent arm 42 mounted on the vertical post or shank 11 of the presser foot. The arm 42 is nicked adjacent its bend to provide a lodgement for the end of the spring 41 and is connected remote from said bend to the vertical post or shank of the presserfoot by a single screw 43. The arm 42 is formed with a rearward extension 44 which is bent inwardly at right angles to provide a support for a screw 45 by means of which the disposition of the arm 42 and hence the tension of spring 41 can be adjusted. The springs 34 and 41 are balanced whereby on displacement of the carrier plate 24 along the guide rail 21 by an external force (in this case the machine needle 16 during its stroke as will appear hereinafter), the carrier plate will return to its original position on removal of the external force. Such movement of the carrier plate in the direction of the vertical post or shank of the presser foot is limited by abutment of the limb 39 of the angle arm 38, 39 against the end of a screw 54 extending through a tapped hole in the vertical post and adapted to be locked in the desired adjusted position by means of a nut 55. A guide channel is formed in the upper surface of the carrier plate 24 and has undercut side edges. The guide channel extends transversely of the direction of movement of the carrier plate on the guide rail 21 and receives thereinto for to and fro sliding movement in the direction of its length a rectangular portion 46 of the lower plate 47 of a lace guiding device. The portion 46 has downwardly and outwardly sloping side edges fitting smoothly into the undercut side edges of the guide channel (Fig. 3). A spring steel strip 48 is secured by a screw 50 in a recess provided therefor in the undersurface of the plate 47. The strip stops short of a screw 49 which secures the plate 47 to a spacer strip 32 hereinafter referred to, the head of the screw 49 being accommodated in the recess. The spring steel strip 48 prevents free sliding of the plate 47 along the channel in the carrier plate 24 and enables fine posi tional adjustment of the plate 47 relative to the carrier plate 24 as hereinafter described.

The lace guiding device further comprises a top plate 31 which has a plane horizontal undersurface 28 and is spaced from the plane horizontal upper surface 29 of the plate 47 at one end by spacer strips 32 and 33 to provide between the plates a guideway 30 bounded above andv below by smooth surfaces. Both plates are permanently secured to the strips, e.g. by riveting. The spacer strip 32 as the narrower or outer end of the guiding device projects laterally and forwardly. and is formed in its projecting part 51 with a slot 52 through which passes the shank of a screw 53 screwed into the carrier plate 24. By slackening the screw 53, the guiding device can be slid along the guide channel in the upper surface of the carrier plate, such sliding movement being limited of course by the length of the slot 52. The screw 53 is tightened after any desired adjustment has been made..

' The spacer strip 32 is formed a i r ar g With a post 56 which projects towards the free end of the arm 38, 39. The post 56 has an arched recess in its underside which receives and provides a bearing for a circular section rod 53 borne between the arm 38 and a lug 59 which projects forwardly from the rear of the inner edge of the carrier plate 24. The rod 58 may be fixed but is preferably rotatable about its axis. The rod 58 has a very hard surface, for example it may be case-hardened. it has a reduced diameter end which is received into a bore provided therefor in the lug 59 and is inserted into position by being pushed with the reduced diameter end leading through a bore of full diameter of the rod provided in the arm 38. A screw 60 screwed into a tapped hole in the outer surface of the arm 33 serves to prevent dislodgement of the rod 58 and the construction provides for ready removal of the rod 58 and replacement thereof, for example by a rod having a circumferential groove at a position substantially intermediate its ends and located so as to be adjacent the post 56 and in the path of the machine needle during'a stitching operation effected with the attachment in position on a sewing machine.

A vertical groove 61 is provided in the face of the post 56 nearest the lug 59, the axis of said groove being tangent to the rod 58.

The front edges of both plates of the lace guiding device slope outwardly and forwardly, i.e. away from the presser foot, and the front edge of the top plate 31 is bent upwardly to provide a lead-in flange 62 having a curved forward surface 63.- A circular section bar 64 is mounted on the flange 62 longitudinally of and in spaced relation to the surface 63 thereby to provide between the two a guide slot 65.

The top plate 31 is formed at each end thereof and adjacent its rear edge with upwardly-projecting brackets 66 and 67 having openings therethrough through which pass the threaded shank 63 of a bolt, the head 69 of the bolt being knurled to facilitate gripping thereof and being disposed outside of and adjacent the bracket 66 and a spring clip 70 being secured to the projecting end of the shank outside of and adjacent the other bracket 67 thereby to prevent lateral displacement of the bolt when it is rotated. The shank 63 extends through and is in screwthreaded engagement with a tapped opening in a keeper 71 slidable along the upper surface of the top plate 31.. The keeper 71 is formed with a recess defined above and below by smooth surfaces between which a marginal area at the rear of the top plate is a sliding fit. The keeper 71 extends beyond the rear edge of the top plate to form an outwardly and downwardly-extending nose 72.

In use the attachment is fitted on to the presser bar or rod 12 of the machine and the keeper 71 is moved along the top plate 31 towards or away from the post 56, as the case may be, to adjust the interval between the keeper and the post to agree with the width of lace to be sewn to the base material. The lace L is threaded right side up through the lace guiding device in the manner shown in Fig. 1, firstly entering the guide slot 65, passing through the guideway 30 between the top and bottom plates, passing over the rod 58 through the slot 15 and below the heel portion of the sole plate 13. The base material M is fed right side up in below the sole plate 13 across the throat plate of the machine and thus the lace first contacts same in the region of the slot 15 and is above the base material. The lace is positively guided by the lace guiding device and fed forwardly by the machine needle and no hand guiding is necessary therefor. Conveniently the lace is led over the head of the sewing machine to the guiding device so that it is not in the way of the operator. The operator can therefore guide the base material without any encumbrance to achieve any desired design of lace facing thereon and over any desired surface area thereof.

During stitching (see Figs. 5 to 7) the needle 16 on its downward stroke slides along the groove 61 and strikes the rod 58 displacing the carrier plate 24 along the guide rail 21 in the direction away from the needle against the action of the springs 34 and 41. The parts carried by the carrier plate 24 take part in such displacement but the lace which has been engaged by the needle and the thread I does not retreat from its position. Thus the lace is pulled through'the guideway 30 by the thread T and as the needle continues its downward stroke this excess lace is doubled over by the pull of the thread and is thus gathered and stitched to the base material M. I On its upward stroke the needle clears the rod 58 which is thus returned to its original position by the springs thereby again placing the lace in a position to be picked up by the needle on its next downward stroke.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings, the sewing machine attachment illustrated is simpler in construction than that already described but functions according to the same principles. The lace guiding attachment of Figs. 8 and 9 is especially intended for use with household sewing machines and comprises a presser foot including a vertical post or shank 75 adapted for connection in the customary manner to the presser bar ofa sewing machine. The sole plate 76 of the presser foot presents a flat smooth undersurface 80 and is rounded at its'leading or front end 77. The sole plate has a slot 78 therein for passage of the machine needle and the rear wall surface 79 defining this slot is rounded as shown. The upper surface 81 of the sole plate is also flat and smooth so as not to present any impediment to the smooth feeding of the lace L.

The lace guiding device in this embodiment of the invention comprises a block 82 extending across the sole plate from front to rear and held in position on the upper surface of the sole plateclose to the inner edge of the latter by a rod 86 which passes through a bore in the vertical post or shank 75 of the presser foot from the rear thereof and bent through 90 at 84 after passage through the bore to extend into and through a bore in the block 82 adjacent the rear end of the latter. The rod 86 is locked relative to the block 82 by a screw 85 which is threadedinto a tapped opening the block which opening communicates with the bore in the block. As a result the block canbe adjusted laterally relative to the v sole plate 76 to suit different types oflace and to provide for variation of the position of the edge of the lace relative to the line of stitching. The 'rod 86 is a sliding fit in the bore in the presser foot post and a tension spring 83 is fitted around the part of the rod projecting to the rear of the presser foot post. The Spring is held in position on the rod 86 by a pair of lock nuts 87 and .88 at the free end of the rod. The block 82 can thus move in the direction away from the presser foot post against the force of the spring 83 and will return to its original position immediately the displacing force is removed. The block is spaced fromthe vertical post or shank 75 of the presser foot by a rod 98 lodged in a groove in the rear face of the block 82 and cranked to extend through a bore in a projecting part 91 at the rear of the block, the part 92 of the rod projecting from the part 91 of the block lying alongside the outside face of theblock. The block 82 can be slid along the part 92 of the rod in the direction of said bore to adjust the spacing of the block from the vertical post or shank 75 of the presser foot as may be required for different types of. sewing machines, a locating screw 109 being provided to'lock the block 82 relative to the part 92 of the rod. The inner surface 89 of the block 82 is normal to the upper surface of the sole plate and is smooth as it takes part in guiding of the lace. The surface 89 is angled at 90 through an obtuse angle adja-- cent the front end of the block 82. The blockis a'carrier for a lace guiding arrangement comprising four rods 93,94, 95 and 96, the first three extending normally from the surface 89 parallel to but spaced from the upper surface 31 of the sole plate. The axis of the rod93 is in the plane containing the forward side wall of the slot 78. A clip 97 is mounted on the rods 93, 94 and 95 for sliding movement therealong. The rod 96 extends normally from the surface portion of the block and is thus at an angle to the other rods of the lace guiding arrangement.

In operation of the attachment when fitted to a sewing machine the rod 93 performs the same function as the rod 58 of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 8 and for this reasonrhas a very hard surface. The lace L is passed over the head of the sewing machine so as to be out of the way of the operator as before. When the lace L is of a relatively light variety, it is threaded right side up below the rod 96, over the rod 95, below the rod 94, and over the rod 93 through the slot 78. This is diagrammatically illustrated in chain-dotted lines in Fig. 9. Should the lace L be of a heavy orcoarse variety it would be threaded below '96 and passed over all three rods 95, 94 and 93. The base material as before is fed right side up beneath the sole plate and acrossthe throat plate of the machine under the controlof the operator, the operator being free to guide the base material as desired, the feeding and gathering ofthe lace being effected automatically by the attachment above the base material in clear view of the operator. Thus again the machine needle in its downward stroke displaces the rod 93 and thus the carrier block 82 and the other parts carried thereby, the spring 83 restoring the block 82 and the parts carried thereby to the original position when the needle moves upwardly to clear the rod 93. The lace L is gathered and stitched to the base material in the manner already described with reference to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 8.

The amount of lace to bev gathered can be varied in each case by alteration of the size of stitch.

I claim:

1. A sewing machine attachment for rufiiing, gathering, tucking or frilling of lace while the lace is being stitched to a base material, said attachment comprising a presser foot including a shank adapted for connection to the presser bar of a sewing machine and a sole plate adapted when the shank is so connected to extend over the throat plate of the machine, said sole plate having a slot for passage of the machine needle, carrier means, means mounting said carrier means on said sole plate for movement towards and away from said shank, said carrier means mounting a rod disposed transversely of said sole plate, resilient means urging said carrier means in the direction of said shank, stop means limiting movement of said carrier means in the direction of said shank in a position wherein said rod is above said slot and in the path of movement of the machine needle with the rod axis to that side of the axis of movement of the needle remote from said shank, and guide means carried by said carrier means and adapted for guiding a length of lace in the direction of its length to pass over said rod andthrough said slot, the force applied by said resilient means to said carrier means being adapted to be overcome by the force applied to said rod by the down ward stroke of the needle of a sewing machine thereby to displace the carrier means over the plate in the direction away from said shank until the needle on its upward stroke clears the rod, whereby the lace is gathered as it is stitched to material fed below the presser foot.

2. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 1,

in which the rod is rotatable about its axis.

4. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 1, in which said guide means comprises several spaced and smooth-surfaced rods mounted above said sole plate and disposed transversely of the direction of feed of the lace, the latter in thi event being. threaded under and over successive rods.

5. A sewing machine attachment for ruflling, gathering, tucking or frilling of lace while the lace is being stitched to a base material, said attachment comprising a' presser foot including a shank adapted for connection to the presser bar of a sewing machine and a sole plate adapted when the shank is so connected to extend over the throat plate of the machine, said sole plate having a slot for passage of the machine needle, carrier means, means mounting said carrier means on said sole plate for movement towards and away from said shank, said carrier means mounting a rod disposed transversely of said sole plate, said rod having a circumferential groove intermediate its length, resilient means urging said carrier means in the direction of said shank, stop means limiting movement of said carrier means in the direction of said shank in a position wherein said rod is above said slot and said circumferential groove is in the path of movement of the machine needle with the rod axis to that side of the axis of movement of the needle remote from said shank, and guide means carried by said carrier means and adapted for guiding a length of lace in the direction of its length to pass over said rod and through said slot, the force applied by said resilient means to said carrier means being adapted to be overcome by the force applied to said rod by the downward stroke of the needle of a sewing machine thereby to displace the carrier means over said sole plate in the direction away from said shank until the needle on its upward stroke clears the rod, whereby the lace is gathered as it is stitched to material fed below the presser foot.

6. A sewing machine attachment for rufliing, gathering, tucking or frilling of lace while the lace is being stitched to a base material, said attachment comprising a presser foot including a shank adapted for connection to the presser bar of a sewing machine and a sole plate adapted when the shank is so connected to extend over the throat plate of the machine, said sole plate having a slot for passage of the machine needle, carrier means, a guide rail on the upper side of said sole plate and at a right angle to said shank, said carrier means being mounted on said guide rail for movement towards and away from said shank, said carrier means mounting a rod disposed transversely of said sole plate, resilient means urging said carrier means in the direction of said shank, stop means limiting movement of said carrier means in the direction of said shank in a position wherein said rod is above said slot and in the path of movement of the machine needle with the rod axis to that side of the axis of movement of the needle remote from said shank, and guide means carried by said carrier means and adapted for guiding a length of lace in the direction of its length to pass over said rod and through said slot, said guide means comprising upper and lower spaced plates providing therebetween a space bounded above and below by smooth surfaces to permit smooth feed of the lace between said plates, said plates having rounded entry edges to provide for smooth feeding of' the lace into said space, the force applied by said resilient means to said carrier means being adapted to be overcome by the force applied to said red by the downward stroke of the needle of a sewing machine thereby to displace the carrier means over said sole plate in the direction away from said shank until the needle on its upward stroke clears the rod, whereby the lace is gathered as it is stitched to material fed below the presser foot.

7. A sewing machine attachment for rufiling, gathering, tucking or frilling of lace while the lace is being stitched to a base material, said attachment comprising a presser foot including a shank adapted for connection to the presser bar of a sewing machine and a sole plate adapted when the shank is so connected to extend over the throat plate of the machine, said sole plate having a slot for, passage of the machine needle, a block slidable to and fro on the upper surface of said sole plate towards and away from said shank, a first rod mounted on said block, said first rod being disposed transversely of said sole plate, means resiliently urging said block in the direction of said shank, stop means limiting movement of said carrier means in the direction of said shank in a position wherein said first rod is above said slot and in the path of movement of the machine needle with the axis of said first rod to that side of the axis of movement of the needle remote from said shank, and guide means for guiding a length of lace in the direction of its length to pass over said first rod and through said slot, said guide means comprising several spaced and smooth-surfaced guide rods mounted on said block, said guide rods being disposed transversely of the direction of feed of the lace, the force appfied by said resilient means to said carrier means being adapted to be overcome by the force applied to said first rod by the downward stroke of the needle of a sewing machine thereby to displace the block over said sole plate in the direction away from said shank until the needle on its upward stroke clears said first rod, whereby the lace is gathered as it is stitched to material fed below the presser foot.

8. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 7, in which said shank has a straight bore running from front to rear thereof, a block-movement-giiding rod passes through said bore and extends both forwardly and rearwardiy of the shank, sewing means secure said block to said guiding rod forward of said shank, said means resiliently urging said block in the direction of said shank is atension spring mounted co-axially about the part of said guiding rod extending to the rear of said shank and bearing on the rear face of the shank, abutment means being provided on the rear end of said guiding rod to maintain said tension in position.

9. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 6, in which said resilient means comprises two compression springs acting on opposed part of opposed edges of said carrier means to maintain a balanced action.

10. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 9, in which one spring is connected between the shank and the carrier means, and means is provided to adjust the tension of said one spring.

11. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 10, in which an adjustable stop extends between the shank and a projection on the carrier means and determines the minimum spacing of the carrier means from the shank.

12. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 6, in which the guide means is positionally adjustable transversely of the carrier means.

13. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 12, in which the carrier means is a plate and the lower plate of the guide means is slidably keyed in a guidcway therefor in the top surface of the carrier means, a spring strip is mounted on the underside of said lower late to prevent free sliding of the guide means in the guideway and thereby enable fine positional adjustments to be made, said guide means has a slot extending transversely of the carrier plate, and a screw extends through said slot into a tapped hole in the carrier plate and is tightenable to lock said guide means in adjusted position on the carrier plate.

14. A sewing machine attachment as claimed in claim 13, in which said guide means includes a keeper slidable along an edge thereof with a part extending between the upper and lower plates, and means-for moving the keeper to and-stabilising same in a position determined by the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Pennington et a1 Apr. 14, English July 24, Auerbach Oct. 6, .Maier Oct. 13, Prazak July 17, Cohen Apr. 10,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany May 5, 

